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In Broken Bow, Oklahoma, Matthew Prine (Christian Hoff) intently watches several televisions simultaneously, scrawling his reactions across every inch of his floor. As he finishes writing, he experiences a vision of the future—nuclear war and its barren aftermath.

Later, Millennium Group offender profilers Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) and Peter Watts (Terry O'Quinn) investigate the disappearance of a bus full of schoolchildren. They believe the driver was also a victim, and not responsible; they meet with the local sheriff, John Cayce (Steven Rankin), who has dredged the bus from a lake. It is empty, but inside, Black experiences the same vision as Prine. He also finds paint transfer on the exterior, indicating the perpetrator was driving a white van. A false positive results as police apprehend storm chasers in a different van, who warn that a violent tornado is approaching.

Prine is behind the kidnapping, and forces the children and driver into an underground bunker. He and his accomplice count the hostages, realizing that there is one less child than they had anticipated. Black and Cayce realize this too, and race to the home of the child who had not taken the bus that morning. They arrive in time to apprehend Prine as he attempted to snatch the child, and take him into custody.

Black believes Prine is not driven by malice; he and Watts use the resources of the Millennium Group to find his home, discovering the dense writings across his floors. They learn that Prine believes a third world war is imminent, and took the children as he believes one of them is destined to bring peace during this time, wishing to protect this child when he learns which one it is destined to be. Black seeks aid from another Group member, Lara Means (Kristen Cloke), who is able to observe Prine's behavioural tells for clues when interviewing him. This, coupled with analysis of soil from his clothing, points to the children being held in an aluminium quarry. The investigators rush to the quarry, where Prine's accomplice engages them in a firefight. However, the advancing tornado forces them to take cover; it kills Prine and lifts the roof from the entombing bunker. It subsides as quickly as it arrived, and the children emerge safely from the wreckage; Black senses that Cayce's daughter may be the prophesied peacemaker. It turns out that the tornado destroyed the school where the children would have been if they weren't abducted, and that Prine had saved their lives.